Thursday, August 1, 2013

Peaches in Lavender Tea

Just recently, I saw a recipe for a fruit salad steeped in chamomile tea. It sounded interesting... the only problem was that I really don't like chamomile. At all.
I'm not partial to that mouth-full-of-pollen taste that (in my opinion) goes with chamomile.
Honeys with strong pollen tastes, or anything that tastes at all like any type of little white flower is not for me.
And so, a way to improve upon the idea and fit it to my own preferences was to instead make use of lavender.

The use of a tea in which to marinate fruit is certainly a different way to add flavor, and the end result turns out to be a refreshing change.
In this case lavender isn't too bold, but understated, and seems to pair well with peaches.
(Because the flavor combination is likely not a familiar one, you'll just have to trust me on this one.)
The tea lends a bit of perfume to the fruit- and while some may be able to identify the flavor, others may not.

And with a light meal, a simple fruit salad can be practically perfect ending.

If you want to add some richness to the dish, maybe try topping with a little whipped cream, or serve the fruit with vanilla ice cream (although the lavender flavor becomes a little blunted with the addition of cream).

Peaches in Lavender Teaserves 4-6

4 large ripe peaches2/3 c (160 ml) water2 teaspoons lavender tea (or dried lavender)1 T (16 g) sugar (vanilla sugar if you have it)1 T (15 ml) lemon juice6 oz (170 g) raspberriesBring the water to a boil and pour into a heat-safe cup or dish. Add the lavender to the hot water and let steep 5-7 minutes. Strain the tea, removing the lavender buds, into a large bowl. Add the sugar and lemon juice and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Cut each peach into 8-12 slices and add them to the bowl with the tea. Marinate 15 minutes, gently tossing a few times. Add the raspberries and toss gently again.At this point the fruit and syrup can be served in dessert bowls, or refrigerated an hour or two and served cold.

About Me

Hello, my name is Natalie.
I'm an omnivore with some vegetarian tendencies.
I love to pore over cookbooks, browse good food photography, and voraciously read food literature.
Food is an art.
I'm interested in the history and origins of foods, and I find food science fascinating.
Travel and exploration are a couple of my loves- I've been to Mexico (but never the beach), Guatemala, England, France, Austria, Germany, Italy, Sicily, Malta, Gabon, and Australia- several places multiple times. I'd go anywhere though!
I cook a little for work and a lot for pleasure.
Favorite cuisines include French, Italian, and California.
Though I have two other jobs in addition, in real life my education is as an occupational therapist (mostly with experience in orthopedics), and I think about working in private practice OT one of these days with children who have a variety of disabilities while using cooking as therapy for things such as tactile defensiveness and fine motor control.
I don't have formal culinary training. Anything I know is from trial-and-error, reading, experience, and what others have shared with me.